Naturally, the person who appeared was Uchiha Chiyu.
For a moment, everyone was completely stunned.
Sarutobi Hiruzen trembled all over, as though the worst omen in his heart had finally come to pass.
Uchiha Shisui was also shocked.
This matter was between the Hyūga clan and Konoha, and between Konoha and Kumogakure. It had nothing to do with him, so why would he appear at this crucial moment to stir up trouble?!
What on earth is he thinking?
As for the other great families, their hearts shook with complicated feelings. On one hand, they certainly didn't want a war with Kumo breaking out again; on the other… If today the Hyūga clan could be sacrificed in the name of the village's peace, who might be next tomorrow? It might be their own clan.
They were, in fact, more than a little thrilled—perhaps hoping Uchiha Chiyu, this fearless man, would once again cause an earth-shaking scene.
But the most astonished of all, naturally, were the Hyūga brothers, Hiashi and Hizashi.
Hizashi, whose wrist was seized in an iron grip so he could no longer move or plunge that kunai into his heart, let out a cry of alarm. He struggled with all his might, yet to no avail. The kunai's tip remained only a hair's breadth from his heart, and he couldn't advance it the slightest bit further!
At some distance, Hiashi was just about to shout. He pressed a hand over his mouth, his heart pounding wildly.
"Uchiha… Chiyu… What does that man plan to do?
"Does—does he truly intend to turn against the Hokage… no—against Sarutobi Hiruzen, even to the point of letting Kumo and Konoha clash in an all-out war? Is he really willing to go that far?"
Though he thought so, Hiashi still felt deep shame rise within him.
A man who had no stake in this matter, yet for the sake of upholding his sense of justice, was willing to take such measures—where was he, the clan head? Where was he, the elder brother?!
Ashamed beyond words, he lowered his head. But then he forced himself to look back up at the tense scene unfolding.
As for the Kumo delegation, they were already seething with both shock and fury.
"Hokage! What do you mean by this?!
"You previously promised to hand over the criminal, and now you send one of your shinobi to interfere?!
"Is this a betrayal of our agreement?
"Were you Konoha nin just playing us for fools?!
"If you can't honor this one condition, then is the so-called 'ceasefire' nothing but a scrap of paper to you?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face went ashen, drained of color.
"Uchiha Chiyu, what are you doing? Release Hiashi this instant!"
But Chiyu didn't even glance at him.
"Let go of him, so he can throw his life away for no reason?"
Hiruzen roared in anger: "He's sacrificing himself for the good of the village and for the greater cause! That is the ninja's duty, the family's honor, the fate of a hero!"
Chiyu shook his head coldly.
"A village that only asks its ninjas to die in vain…
"Is not a village worth dying for.
Hiruzen exploded: "On what grounds do you say such things?!" Fresh chapters posted on novel⟡fire.net
With an unhurried tone, Chiyu replied:
"I am the captain of Konoha's Police Force.
"That is my qualification."
He tightened his grip, easily snatching away the kunai from Hizashi's hand. Then—
Lightning Release Nintaijutsu: Blade of False Darkness!
"You—what are you doing?!
"Stop it, you bastard!"
Seeing this, Hiruzen panicked to the point he was about to personally intervene. However…
Not only did lightning flare from the kunai, but an even more violent electric glow erupted around Chiyu's entire body—thunder and lightning raged in a dazzling display!
Everyone—Konoha and Kumogakure alike—stared wide-eyed in utter shock!
A flicker of lightning too fast for the naked eye—like genuine teleportation—cut through the entire Kumo envoy in a frenzied dance!
"That's the Raikage's—"
Splurt! Splurt-splurt-splurt!
Lightning coursed like a dragon, yet more violently than a dragon. It was as swift as a shooting star, yet even more merciless. In just one instant—
The kunai in Chiyu's hand (strictly speaking, the Blade of False Darkness) had already harvested the lives of all thirteen Kumo nin.
He reappeared at his original spot.
Those struck by the blow scarcely realized they were dead. They only felt their entire bodies go numb, a cold burn merging somewhere within them.
The deputy leader even forced out a final question:
"You… you're just… an Uchiha… so why—
"…the Raikage's—Lightning Release Chakra Mode…
"No… no, this can't—!"
Before he could finish, the lightning at his throat exploded, blasting half his skull and chest into a bloody mess.
Like a set of fireworks, flashes of lightning successively broke out:
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Heads flew, blood and electricity intertwined, drenching the air in a grotesque yet oddly spectacular scene. As the lightning faded and the blood settled, those headless corpses slumped to the ground like empty sacks.
All at once, the world fell silent.
Every so-called "big shot" of Konoha stood frozen, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Closer by, Hizashi's heart pounded like a drum:
"H-he actually did it—
"He just kills whomever he wants, without scruple!
"And right in front of the Hokage, he annihilated the entire Kumogakure envoy in an instant!
"Who the hell is this man?!"
Farther away, Hiashi was likewise thunderstruck, yet more than that, he felt an overwhelming sense of gratification:
"Well killed—magnificent…"
Looking at the Kumo nin lying lifeless on the ground, he nearly shed tears. That suffocating despair, the rage built up over so many humiliations, at last erupted in this single moment.
That man… Uchiha Chiyu…
He had truly done what Hiashi didn't dare do—or even dared to imagine. What a relief!
Other clan representatives and shinobi also gaped, their hearts stirred by contradictory elation. From the Hokage's meeting until now, they'd witnessed the Hokage's subservience to the Kumo envoys—sacrificing so much power and profit. Then the Hyūga's situation: clearly victims forced to die for their attackers. In that instant, all the pent-up frustration was unleashed.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen, seeing the ground littered with corpses, nearly lost his mind.
"What have you done?!
"Don't you realize all my efforts for peace have just gone up in smoke?!
"Don't you realize Kumo and Konoha will be at war again, violence unstoppable?!
"Don't you realize the dire consequences you've unleashed?!"
Chiyu didn't even turn to look at him.
"I only realize that evildoers must die.
"As long as I live, I will kill them on sight—until no one dares do evil in this world!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood there, dumbfounded.
[You have successfully helped thirteen Kumogakure envoys avoid being deceived by Hizashi and punished by the Raikage. Good deed! +900 Virtue Points!]
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